Waiting May Cut Child Head-Injury Scans

Observing children in the emergency room for a while may reduce the need for computed tomography (CT) scans after a head injury, a new study concludes. CT scans use radiation. Repeated doses can increase the long-term risk of cancer, especially in children. Researchers looked at records on 40,000 children who had a minor head injury. All were treated in emergency departments. ER staff kept an eye on about 5,400 of the children for a few hours before deciding whether to do a CT scan. Of this group, 31% ended up getting a scan. The CT rate was 35% when doctors did not observe the child before deciding whether to do a CT. The rate of serious brain injury found was about the same in the two groups. Some children who did not get a CT scan at first did come back for one later. Only one serious brain injury was detected in these later tests.